More object oriented development with Page Type Builder

- or how to have a little more fun at work

Agenda

1. Problems with the standard EPiSever model2. How Page Type Builder solves the problems3. How to use Page Type Builder4. Questions

The EPiServer Model

PageType

PageData Page (.ASPX)

Is, sort of, an instance of

Decides which template to use

Renders content from

Dear diary, today I……created Page Types

Dear diary, today I……added properties

Dear diary, today I……added markup to display properties

Dear diary, today I……wrote some code

Dear diary, today I……did a release

A few problems• We spend a lot of time not writing code

– We define ”templates” for objects in a web based UI– There’s no inheritance between page types– Synchronizing different environments is a pain

• Object Orientation?– We use a lot of ”magic strings”– We place logic in the presentation layer that doesn’t

necessarily belong there

• We distinguish PageData objects by the ID of their Page Type

What if…

Article

ArticlePage Page<Article> (.ASPX)

Actually is an instance of Decides which template to use

Renders content from,knowing the type

Page Type Builder

• An open source project• Creates and updates page types based on classes• Ensures that DataFactory returns instances of your

classes

By using Page Type Builder we get

• Less switching between Visual Studio and Admin• Inheritance between page types• Strongly typed access to properties• The ability to place logic in pages• Polymorphism• Faster and easier releases• Better testability

Getting started• Download from

pagetypebuilder.codeplex.com• Reference PageTypeBuilder.dll• Copy Castle.Core.dll and

Castle.DynamicProxy2.dll to your bin folder

Creating a page typeusing PageTypeBuilder;

namespace MySite.PageTypes{

[PageType] public class Article : TypedPageData { }

}

Specifying settings[PageType( Filename = "/Templates/Article.aspx”, DefaultChildSortOrder = FilterSortOrder.Index)]public class Article : TypedPageData{}

Adding properties[PageType]public class Article : TypedPageData{

[PageTypeProperty]public virtual string MainBody { get; set; }

}

Specifying property settings[PageType]public class Article : TypedPageData{

[PageTypeProperty( EditCaption = "Main body", HelpText = "Will be shown in the main content area of the page", Type = typeof(PropertyXhtmlString))]

public virtual string MainBody { get; set; }}

Creating a templateusing PageTypeBuilder.UI;

namespace MySite.Templates{

public partial class Article : TemplatePage<PageTypes.Article> { }

}

Creating a template<%@ Page Language="C#" CodeBehind="Article.aspx.cs" Inherits="MySite.Templates.Article"MasterPageFile="~/Templates/MasterPages/MasterPage.master"%>

<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderID="MainBodyRegion" runat="server">

<%= CurrentPage.MainBody %></asp:Content>

Add logic to properties[PageTypeProperty(Type = typeof(PropertyString))]public string Heading{

get{ string heading = this.GetPropertyValue(page => page.Heading); if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(heading)) return heading;

return PageName;}

}

Adding methods to page types[PageType]public class Article : TypedPageData{ public IEnumerable<Comment> GetComments() { return DataFactory.Instance.GetChildren(PageLink) .OfType<Comment>(); }}

Dependency Injection[PageType]public class Article : TypedPageData{ private IPageSource dataFactory; public Article(IPageSource dataFactory) { this.dataFactory = dataFactory; } public IEnumerable<Comment> GetComments() { return dataFactory.GetChildren(PageLink) .OfType<Comment>(); }}

Where to learn more

pagetypebuilder.codeplex.com

• Links to tutorials• Links to 40+ blog posts

Thank you!

http://joelabrahamsson.com@joelabrahamsson

joel.abrahamsson@valtech.sePhotographs from http://draken413o.deviantart.com/art/To-the-rescue-121441303 and http://theinfluentials.wordpress.com/category/consumer-behaviour/

Questions?